Area wrestlers take aim at state tournament

GLENS FALLS – Having cleared the first postseason hurdle last weekend at the sectional class tournaments, several area wrestler will look to take the next step this weekend at the state qualifying tournaments.

A total of 32 area wrestlers advanced to this weekend’s tournament after qualifying Saturday.

Due to Friday’s forecast of winter weather, the Section II Division I and II tournaments were moved from Friday and Saturday at the Glens Falls Civic Center to Queensbury High School on Sunday.

Amsterdam leads the way with 14 wrestlers qualified for the Section II Division I (large-school) Tournament at the Queensbury High School, which will take place Friday and Saturday. Fonda-Fultonville, Johnstown and Canajoharie-Fort Plain combined to qualify nine wrestlers for the Section II Division II (small-school) tourney, which also will take place at Queensbury High School on Sunday.

Dolgeville, which won the Section III Class D title Saturday, will send nine wrestlers to Syracuse to compete in the Section III Division II Tournament.

Section II Division I Tournament

The Rams will send 14 wrestlers to Glens Falls this weekend to compete in the Division I tourney.

Leading the way for Amsterdam will be junior Brandon Lapi, who will be seeking his fourth-straight Section II Division I title and a fourth-straight trip to the state tournament. Lapi, who is 42-3 on the season, has 32 pins this season and is seeded first at 132 pounds after winning his fourth Class B title Saturday at Mohonasen High School.

Amsterdam finished third in the team standings at the Class B tourney, finishing behind Queensbury and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. The title was the fourth straight Class B crown for Queensbury and their 32nd overall.

Ken Garcia also claimed a title for Amsterdam on Saturday, edging Queensbury’s Chris Goudy, 2-1, to win the 195-pound crown. Garcia, a senior, is 35-10 this season and seeded sixth for this weekend’s tourney.

James Marquez also reached the finals for the Rams, losing 4-3 in the 160-pound finals to LaSalle’s Brendan Goldup. Marquez, a senior, is 37-9 this season and seeded second for this weekend’s tourney.

In addition to their finalists, the Rams had two other wrestlers place third. Senior Ian Alejandro (120 pounds) and freshman Chris Garrison (182) both finished third for Amsterdam. Alejandro posted a 5-0 win over Averill Park’s Joe Toth in the consolation finals, while Garrison notched a 5-2 win over Ballston Spa’s Garrett O’Grady.

Alejandro (24-18 overall) and Garrison (23-17) are both seeded eighth in their respective weight classes this weekend.

Orengo (32-13) is seeded eighth for this weekend’s tourney and Banewicz (25-16) is seeded ninth.

Wrestling is scheduled to begin Friday at 11:30 a.m. It will continue Saturday with wrestling set to begin at 10 a.m. with the championship semifinals. The championship finals are tentatively scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

The winners of each weight class will advance to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships on Feb. 22 and 23 at the Times Union Center in Albany. Other wrestlers will qualify through wild-card berths, which will be announced next week.

Section II Division II Tournament

Johnstown’s Joe Nellis was the area’s lone champion at the Class CC Tournament on Saturday at Schalmont High School.

Nellis, a senior, pinned his way to the title, earning the title by pinning Schuylerville’s Harrison Proctor in 1:36 in the 220-pound championship match.

Hazzard is seeded fifth for this weekend’s tournament, while Payack is seeded ninth.

Fonda-Fultonville had four wrestlers qualify for the state-qualifying tournament with top-four showings at the Class C Tournament in Hoosick Falls on Saturday.

Ryan Park (152 pounds) and Eric Moyer (285) both finished second in their respective weight classes, while Dom Mancini (145) placed third. Thomas TenEyck also advanced with a fourth-place finish at 120 pounds.

Park is seeded fifth for this weekend’s tournament, Mancini was seeded seventh and Moyer is seeded sixth.

Wrestling is scheduled to begin Friday at 11:30 a.m. It will continue Saturday with wrestling set to begin at 10 a.m. with the championship semifinals. The championship finals are tentatively scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

The winners of each weight class will advance to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships on Feb. 22 and 23 at the Times Union Center in Albany. Other wrestlers will qualify through wild-card berths, which will be announced next week.

Section III Division II Tournament

After winning the Section III Class D title Saturday at Sandy Creek, Dolgeville will send nine wrestlers to Syracuse to compete in the Section III Division II Tournament at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena.

Handy, a sophomore, is 29-7 this season and earned the fourth seed for Saturday’s Division II (small-school) tournament.

Fox, a sophomore, is seeded fourth at 106 pounds after going 31-2 this season.

Dillenbeck, who is 12-6 in his junior season, wasn’t seeded among the top six at 113 pounds, while Engle, a sophomore, earned this fourth seeded at 152 pounds after going 39-2 this season. Lyon, a sophomore, is 31-10 this season and earned the sixth seed at 160 pounds. Foster, a sophomore, is 29-10 this season and seeded third at 182 pounds.

Tyler Richards (138) and Jimmy Doolittle (170) also reached the finals for Dolgeville and both finished second at the Class D Tournament, while Ben Nastovski placed third at 120 pounds.

Richards, a senior, is 17-19 this season, while Doolittle, a junior, is 21-17. Nastovski, a sophomore, is 31-3 this season. He earned the third seed at 120 pounds.

Wrestling is slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the championship finals set to begin at approximately 7 p.m.

The winners of each weight class will advance to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships on Feb. 22 and 23 at the Times Union Center in Albany. Other wrestlers will qualify through wild-card berths, which will be announced next week.